King Salman's personal bodyguard shot dead in a dispute in Saudi Arabia

Dubai: A prominent bodyguard of King Salman has been shot and killed by a friend on Saturday night, the official Saudi news agency reported.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Sunday that Maj. Gen. Abdulaziz Al Fagham has been shot and killed in a dispute with his friend Mamdouh Bin Meshaal Al Ali, in Jeddah.

A one-sentence statement published by state TV on Twitter identified Al Fagham as "the bodyguard of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques."

Saudis on Twitter shared his pictures and offered condolences to Al Fagham's family, till the Twitter handle that bears his name #عبدالعزيز_الفغم became the top trend worldwide with nearly 1 million tweets.

Al Fagham, local media reported, was popular among Saudis as he was always present with the late King Abdullah and King Salman, his successor.

In mid-2017, King Salman issued a royal order to promote Abdulaziz Al Fagham, which was considered an  exceptional promotion to the rank of brigadier general.

According to SPA, Al Fagham was at a friend's house, when a common friend, Mamdouh Bin Meshaal Al Ali, joined them.

A heated argument erupted between Al Fagham and Mamdouh, which led to the latter shooting the brigadier general and two others who were present at the house.

The shooter tried to escape, randomly shooting at police surrounding the scene, injuring five policemen.

Mamdouh was shot dead, according to SPA.

Social media reactions

One picture circulating on social media says "you guarded our beloved, so we loved you."

Saudi Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates tweeted this morning saying "Abdulaziz Al Fagham lived as a hero, and patriot, loving his country and his kings, a righteous son for his leadership ... the whole of Saudi Arabia is grieved by his departure".

Another user tweetd "People weep for you."